Mario Batali – The Chef and the Star! Yes, he is the man. I once asked my mother what should one do to be on TV. She said, “Act or cook.” One wise woman she is! It is true these days, especially when you consider the fact that there are many chefs who have attained worldwide celebrity status. Chefs like Mario Batali are household names in America. After all, it is impossible to miss this chef with his signature orange colored crocs on his feet. If Mario Batali wasn't popular already, he now plays Gordon, an angry business man in the horror film 'Bitter Feast' directed by Joe Maggio, a self professed foodie. This movie is an attempt by Joe Maggio to capture the current culinary culture and its not so pretty realities.

The movie tells the story of Peter Gray played by James LeGros, a chef at a restaurant called as 'Feast', who abducts a food blogger after he publishes a rumor saying that Gray's television show is about to be canceled. The rumor more or less ruins Gray's business and credibility. The story is about Gray's revenge. Larry Fessenden, the film's producer first approached Batali to play Gordon as they knew each other through their children The dark humor of the movie's story seemed strike a chord with Mario Batali that he agreed almost immediately to play the role.

The story of Bitter Feast seems to set Mario Batali thinking. He feels that there are many bloggers who are out there without any clue of journalism or accountability. All they do is cut, copy and paste the data already available data online. He feels that they have no idea about the actual subject that they are dealing with, or writing about.

Did acting make Mario Batali nervous? He definitely knows that it did. Even though he has been before the camera for many years now, acting in a movie did make him very nervous. He confessed that he had spent a couple of sleepless nights, worrying about his performance. But the director Joe Maggio thinks that Mario Batali is a natural, and that he doesn't even have try too hard at it. If I'm not mistaken, there is a movie titled 'As Cool as I Am' directed by Max Mayer which will have Batali as chef and star.

I think that Batali as chef and star in any movie would definitely be rocking. Good luck Mario!

Image Courtesy: peter.evans-greenwood.com